Bringing Our Community Together: A Technical Associate’s Story
“…My role helps facilitate student access and exposure to the School’s many significant events and program offerings.”
Helping our students succeed is the number one priority for the faculty, staff, and administrators at CUNY SPS, though many of them often do this work behind the scenes. To spotlight some of the unsung heroes who support our School and students, we have launched the blog series Backstage at CUNY SPS. Each of the members profiled here have been nominated by someone else at CUNY SPS in recognition of their great work.
In this week’s installment, we sit down with Molly Joyce, who works in the CUNY SPS Events Department.
Q: Briefly describe your job and the work that you do at CUNY SPS.
I am a technical associate with the Events Department. My role involves assisting in online event execution, such as orientation, open conversations, Lunch & Learns, panel discussions, and of course Commencement! I also do video work, such as editing the event recordings and preparing videos for Commencement.
Q: How did you end up working at CUNY SPS? How long have you worked here?
A: I have been working at CUNY SPS since December 2021, and learned about the role as I am also a student here! I completed the Advanced Certificate in Disability Studies in June 2022, and am in the MA in Disability Studies program, with expected completion in December 2022.
Q: What do you find exciting or fulfilling about your work?
A: Anything and everything! Learning about the various events from conception to presentation and dissemination is always interesting, and I appreciate being involved throughout these stages. I also enjoy working alongside collaborative co-workers, such as my manager Heather Zeman, IT assistant Ryan Davila, and the Orientation team (Angela Francis and Emily Schrynemakers).
Q: How would you say your job helps support student success at CUNY SPS? Or, if not students directly, the needs of the School?
I believe my role helps facilitate student access and exposure to the School’s many significant events and program offerings, as well as assisting students in connecting since it is primarily an online school. For example, I reformatted the PowerPoint material for this year’s first-year orientation. In addition, I helped create Mentimeter polling throughout the events to hopefully help show students that they are all in this together.
Q: You are also an alum from the MA in Disability Studies program. Do you feel like your prior experience here as a student has affected your staff role? If so, in what way(s)?
I have loved my time in the Disability Studies program and hope to finish my MA in December. My experience as a student has helped provide a student perspective on my work, namely a first-hand understanding of being an online, adult student with varying responsibilities and interests. Overall, it has made me more passionate about my role and studies, as I have experienced first-hand how beneficial the CUNY SPS format has been to me academically and professionally.
Q: Finally, is there anything that you would like the larger CUNY SPS community to know about your work or your unit (that they may not know about already)?
A: They may not know that for most CUNY SPS events, there is a Run of Show drafted for the event schedule, and an event report/debrief created to highlight what went well and what could be improved. This aspect was certainly enlightening to me when I started in the role, to learn about how much thought and care go into each event.
Want to learn more about our dedicated faculty and staff? Read more installments from this series.
